Psychology and the Theatre: A Qualitative Experiment in Actor Training

Abstract

PSYCHOLOGY AND THE THEATRE By Megan R. Brown, M.F.A. candidate A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts (Theatre Pedagogy) at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2006 Major Director: Janet B. Rodgers Associate Professor, Department of Theatre Psychology and theatre have a remarkable amount in common. In using the basic concepts and theories of psychology, actors can develop more concrete, logical approaches to characters. This thesis is a summation of the course I developed, “Psychology and the Theatre,” which was an attempt to teach students introductory psychology and then experiment with translating those concepts to character analysis and stage performance. Students were taught eight units of psychology: Sensation, Perception, and Memory; Learning; Motivation and Emotion; Development; Freud and Psychodynamic Approaches to Personality; Adlerian Individual Psychology; Love and Social Cognition; and